Insurancewith Blog
World Ovarian Cancer Day
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Picture curtsey of lusi
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As many of our ovarian cancer travel insurance customers
will know, today 8th May 2013 marks the first World Ovarian Cancer
Day. The day is for ovarian cancer
organisations around the world to unite and educate their communities about
ovarian cancers and its symptoms.
Unlike more common cancers, ovarian cancer is far harder to
detect, which is a challenge globally.
There is not an easy test like a mammogram or smear test to act as an
early warning sign. The symptoms of ovarian cancer are similar to those of
less serious illnesses, therefore it
tends to be diagnosed later resulting in harsher or more radical treatments and
poorer outcomes.
Education of symptoms is one of the most important elements
in fighting ovarian cancer which is why this global day of awareness is so
important. So today please make sure you
make at least 5 of your female friends aware of the symptoms of ovarian cancer.
The symptoms are:
·
Increased abdominal size/persistent bloating
(not bloating that comes and goes)
·
Difficulty eating/feeling full quickly
·
Abdominal or pelvic pain
·
Needing to pass urine more urgently or more
frequently
“Who Cares Award” Nominations have now closed
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Further to my original blog, the nominations for our “Who
Cares Award” have now closed. I have
been going through the nominations this morning and have been amazed by the
nominees and their stories; I will admit tears have been shed.
The idea behind the awards was to recognise the selfless
work carers do and the sacrifices they make, and hi-light the fact that anyone
can become a carer. It is not a job you necessarily
apply for, but if a family member or loved one becomes ill or has an accident and
can no longer look after themselves you automatically step in. Many carers give up work to care and this can
have a big impact on the family finances, some cares work and care, all of them
give up their normal lives and things that people take for granted such as
holidays or something as simple as an evening out.
Every carer has a story of why they are caring and I am
delighted that so many of you have shared your stories with us, but now for the
very difficult job of picking the 2 finalists.
Thankfully this is not for me to decide, we are very luck to have Andrew
Holt, the Editor of Charity Times as our judge so it is over to him now. We will let you know who the 2 finalists are
in a couple of weeks.
Never Too Young
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As many of
our cancer travel insurance customers will know, April is Bowel Cancer
Awareness Month. One of the themes this
year is awareness for those under 50, reminding everyone you are never too
young to get bowel cancer. According to
Bowel Cancer UK the number of people under 50 being diagnosed with bowel cancer
is slowly rising. In 2009, the latest
year figures are available for, 2,132 people under 50 were diagnosed with bowel
cancer, compared to 1999, when 1,698 people under 50 were diagnosed, over the
decade the increase has been just over 25% which is a concern.
The main
problem in diagnosing bowel cancer or, any cancer, in those under 50 is often
misdiagnosis. In younger people the
medical profession tend to leave cancer last to rule out, furthermore the
symptoms of bowel cancer can be very similar to other conditions such as
irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), so it is understandable why is can be
misdiagnosed. However, the key to a good
outcome is early diagnosis, so we need to be aware of the signs of bowel cancer
and go to the GP if you have any of the symptoms, and insist that your GP rules
out bowel cancer first not last. The
symptoms to look out for are:
·
Dark
or black stools (could indicate bleeding)
·
An
unexplained change in bowel habits
·
Abdominal
Pain
·
Anaemia
·
Unexplained
weigh loss
·
Bloating
and/or vomiting
I can’t
stress enough that the best outcomes from cancer treatment comes from early
diagnosis, so awareness is key. At
Insurancewith we are proud to support the cancer charity Fighting All Cancers Together (FACT) who have a range of programmes with local businesses to raise
awareness of cancer and its symptoms, and these type of programs are paramount
in tackling this disease head on.
Another concern
can also be that younger people are more embarrassed to visit their GP and
discuss things such as their bowel movements, but trust me you have nothing to
be embarrassed about, your GP has heard it all before and then some! So don’t die of embarrassment, make that appointment.
Are you prepared to care?
The
majority of people won’t understand what I’m asking here, and until I was
diagnosed with breast cancer it would have been a question I’d of thought I
would never need to consider. How wrong
could I have been, when I was diagnosed with breast cancer I had a 5 month old
baby, and having chemotherapy, radiotherapy and surgery left me unable to look
after myself let alone a 5 month old baby for a period of 18 months. My husband became my carer, not something you
ever envisage happening in your 30’s!
When
my husband was caring for me we didn’t acknowledge he was my carer, he was just
doing the things I couldn’t manage, but looking back if we had realised we
would of been able to get much more support instead of muddling thorough on our
own. This is why campaigns such as
Carers Week are so important, Carers Week is a weeklong awareness campaign,
aimed at improving the lives of carers and the people they care for. There are 6.4 million carers in the UK and every
day at least 6000 people start caring, many of these people will be like my
husband and not even consider themselves as carers, they are just doing what
anyone would do in their position, looking after their loved ones. Carers Week this year is 10th to
16th June and will focus on how effectively the Government is supporting
the growing numbers of carers and the impact of caring on daily life. Furthermore with an aging population and more
people getting serious illnesses such as cancer and higher incidences of
disability, the number of carers is only set to grow. The Week will also help those already caring
to make sure they are finding all the practical and emotional support they
need. You can get involved in Carers
Week by completing their on-line survey telling them about your experiences of caring.
Read more »
Who Cares Award’ launched to search for UK’s most deserving carer
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We
are really pleased to announced that Insurancewith has launched the ‘Who Cares
Award’, with support from charity Genetic Alliance UK, to find the most
extraordinary carer in the UK.
The
awards will be based on nominations from the public or through dedicated
charities of those people who support others, dedicate their lives or put their
lives on hold to care for others. Candidates can be young or old, a
professional nurse or a relative.
A
shortlist of nominations will be submitted to the judging panel, chaired by
Andrew Holt, editor of the UK’s leading magazine for the sector, Charity Times. The winner will be announced
at a special award lunch at The Little Ship Club, overlooking the River Thames
in London, on 12 June 2013 to coincide with this year’s UK Carers Week (10-16
June 2013).
Insurancewith
Brand Director Fiona Macrae said: “Everyday thousands of selfless acts takes
place across the UK from all walks of life. I know from my own experience, when
I suffered from breast cancer, I couldn’t have coped without the support of my
husband who carried on working, looking after my son and me while I went
through 18 months of treatment.”
“Others
do even more and give up everything for a loved one or dedicate their lives to
make caring a profession. Over the years, Insurancewith has helped thousands of
people take a relaxing break, offering peace of mind that if something goes
wrong, we will look after them. We want to take that one step further by
creating this award. We are delighted Genetic Alliance UK has decided to
support us in this project. We are also privileged to have Charity Times editor Andrew Holt to help judge the winner.”
Genetic
Alliance UK assistant director Melissa Hillier added: “Carers are often the
unsung heroes dedicating their lives to supporting those they love. Many carers
also dedicate time and energy to supporting others in a similar situation
through patient support groups. Genetic
Alliance UK is thrilled to be involved in this award as we know through our own
work supporting those affected by long term genetic conditions that all too
often a carer can be overlooked. We look forward to receiving nominations but
know that making the final decision will not be easy.”
Award
nominations have been issued and the form is available here on the Insurancewith web
site.
The
closing date for all nominations is 3 May 2013.
Prostate and Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month drawing to a close
As many of our cancer travel insurance customers will know,
this month, March is both Prostate and Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month. And both these cancers do require the much
needed awareness these months can bring.
Prostate cancer kills 10,000 men a year, this year’s
Prostate Cancer Awareness Month people are raising money for the Sledgehammer
Fund to help Prostate Cancer UK crack prostate cancer. Prostate cancer is the most common cancer in
men, and is as big an issue for men as breast cancer is for women, yet it
doesn’t get nearly the same amount of money for research. The money raised by Sledgehammer will help
fund research to gain more understanding of prostate cancer, develop better tests
and less invasive treatments. Treatment
for this disease can have life changing side effects; therefore as has happened
with breast cancer, less invasive treatments need to be researched. You can find out more about the Sledgehammer
Fund and how to donate here.
With regards to ovarian cancer, one in 50 women will develop
ovarian cancer in their lifetime. For
Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month, keeping with the 50 theme, a 50’s challenge has
been launched by the charity Target Ovarian Cancer. The challenge is to let 50 women know about
the symptoms of ovarian cancer with the leaflet from the charity and to raise
at least £50 for the charity, using a 50’s themed event. I think that the best thing here is the
challenge to let 50 women know the symptoms of ovarian cancer, shockingly only
3% of women know the symptoms of ovarian cancer. Many people think of ovarian cancer as the
silent killer, but if you know the symptoms to look out for and the cancer is
caught early enough it is very treatable.
It is not just women who are unclear of the symptoms, many GP are too so
if you do have any symptoms mentioned here, don’t be afraid to ask you GP to
“rule out ovarian cancer” if for example they diagnosis you with irritable
bowel syndrome (IBS), as some of the symptoms are similar to those of ovarian
cancer.
I am so proud that Insurancewith donates £1 to charity, (click
on the charity links of our web site for more information), for every prostate and ovarian cancer travel insurance policy sold. Without the exceptional work the charities
do, we wouldn’t have the awareness days, weeks and months that they organise
and promote. These awareness campaigns
are vital to fighting diseases such as prostate and ovarian cancer, not only do
they raise awareness of symptoms to look out for, and we all know the sooner
cancer is found the easier and more successfully it can be treated, they
also raise valuable money for research into treatments and cures.
I know that not a
week goes by without it being awareness of some medical condition or other, but
believe me they are very much worthwhile, and you never know one day you or a
loved one may need that charities support.
Cancer the blame game
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Who has ever played the cancer blame game? I used to do it all the time, was I
responsible for my cancer, did I drink too much, I was, still am! slightly overweight
etc., etc. With all the things that we
read in the press that causes cancer, it’s no wonder that may people who have
been diagnosed think it is their fault, if they had led their life differently
maybe they wouldn’t have got cancer.
Well I think that it is all nonsense, and yes we can all make changes to
our life styles to stack the odds against getting cancer more in our favour,
but what you cannot do, is say by making these changes that you will never get
cancer. It is a bit like wearing a
helmet when cycling, it is not guarantee that you won’t be killed if you are
knocked off your bike, but it does help stack the odds in your favour.
So my advice now I am 8 years down the line is, everything
in moderation, I still enjoy a drink, but I don’t drink every day, I still like
LOVE cake, but I don’t eat it every
day and I do try and stick to as healthy a diet as possible, and do yoga once a
week. And I do all this, not because I
think it will stop my cancer coming back, but I just want to be able to wear my
clothes without them straining at the seams!
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